Planted occasionally for coffee shade. This spe- 

 cies has been tested in i-eforestation in Puerto Rico 

 but was al)andoned because of very slow growth. 

 It also suffered heavy losses when field mice cut 

 stems of many seedlings. Nevertheless, the adapt- 

 ability of this species to a wide variety of sites and 

 its capacity to ]n-oduce large cro))s of fruits which 

 are dispersed by animals have made it one of the 

 most widespread trees of Puerto Rico. 



The bark and seeds, reportedly poisonous and 

 in large doses causing death, have been employed 

 in other places as a vermifuge, purgative, and nar- 

 cotic. It is said that smoke from the wood is in- 

 jurious to the eyes. 



Handsome and very showy when in flower, this 

 species has been planted for ornament and shade 

 in some countries. As the flowers are much visited 

 by honey bees, the tree is an excellent honey plant. 



Common in all regions of Puerto Rico except the 

 upper mountains. Commonest on the lower south- 

 ern slopes of the Cordillera. Found in woodlands, 

 along roadsides, fence rows, river banks, and in 

 pastures. Also in Vieques, St. Croix, St. Thomas, 

 St. John, and Tortola. 



Public forests. — Aguirre, Cambalache, Carite, 

 (iuaja*^aca, Guanica, (xuilarte, Luquillo, Maricao, 

 Rio Aba jo, San Juan, Susua, Toro Negro, Vega. 



Municipalities where especially common. — 

 6, 8, 9, 23, 32, 42, U, 46, 47, 50, 53, 60, 61, 69, 70, 73. 



Range. — Through "West Indies from Cuba and 



Jamaica to Trinidad. Collected at Bahia Honda 

 Key, Florida, and introduced in southern Florida. 

 Also from central Mexico (Michoacan) south to 

 Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil, and in western tropical 

 Africa. 



Other cosimon names. — moca blanca (Puerto 

 Rico) ; dog-almond, dog-plum, false-mahogany 

 (Virgin Islands) ; palo de burro (Dominican Re- 

 public) ; yaba, yaba colorada, moca (Cuba) ; maca 

 colorada, pacay, macayo, cuilimbuca, moca, yaba 

 (Mexico) ; almendro (Central America) ; almen- 

 dro cimarron, guacamayo (Guatemala) ; guaca- 

 mayo (Honduras) ; almendro macho, almendro de 

 rio, almendro montes, almendro real (El Salva- 

 dor) ; cocii, carne asada (Costa Rica) ; cocii, pilon, 

 arenillo, quira (Panama) ; congo, guayacan congo, 

 palo de seca, majagua gallina, peloto (Colombia) ; 

 pilon, chirai, trompillo (Venezuela) ; moton 

 (Ecuador) ; angelim, angelim da varzea (Peru) ; 

 ajunado (Bolivia) ; cabbage angelin, cabbage-bark 

 (ITnited States) ; angelin (English, commerce) ; 

 cabbage-bark (English) ; black-plum (Tobago) ; 

 cornwood, carbon, chaperno (British Honduras) ; 

 batseed, koraro (British Guiana) ; bois palmiste 

 (Haiti) ; angelin, bois olive (Guadeloupe, Mar- 

 tinique) ; angelin palmiste (Guadeloupe) ; reddie, 

 rode kabbes (Surinam) ; angelim morcequeira 

 (Brazil). . . 



Botanical SYNON'i'MS. — Andira jnmnwensis (W. 

 AVright) Urban, Geoff roya Inermis W. Wright. 



LEGUME FAMILY (LEGUMINOSAE) 



PEA SUBFAMILY (LOTOIDEAE; FABACEAE) 



82. Bucare enano, machette Erythrina berteroana Urban* 



This small introduced tree used as a living fence 

 is recognized by: (1) alternate leaves with 3 

 wedge-shaped leaflets about as broad as long, 

 short-pointed at apex and very broad at base, dull 

 light green above, and whitish green beneath; (2) 

 showy masses of coral pink to red flowei-s about 3 

 inches long but very narrow, only 14 inch broad, 

 resembling a machete or sword in shape, many 

 borne in erect unbranched clusters; and (3) the 

 dark brown pod 4-6 inches long, very long stalked 

 and very long ))ointed. slightly flattened and much 

 narrowed between the oblong seeds, which are 

 bright orange red. From related species of the 

 same genus in Puerto Rico, bucare enano is dis- 

 tinguished by the absence of spines on twigs and 

 trunks, though the trunk rarely may be spiny. (A 

 spiny form occurs in Central America.) 



A deciduous small tree becoming 20-25 feet high 

 and 1 foot in diameter, with branching trunk and 

 broad spreading thin crown. The bark is brown, 

 smoothish, slightly warty and becoming shallow 

 furrowed. Inner bark is about I/2 inch thick, light 

 yellow, slightly soft, and almost tasteless. The 



stout twigs are shiny green when young, becoming 



The leaves 6-14 inches long have light gi'een 

 round petioles 3-6 inches lon<r, enlarged at base. 

 Leaflet stalks are %-y2 inch long with minute 

 green glands at base. Leaflet blades are 2-5 inches 

 long and l%-5 inches wide, broadly ovate and 

 often nearly diamond-shaped, not toothed on 

 edges, thin, with 3 main veins from base. The 

 leaflets often are turned upward on edge, exposing 

 the lower surfaces, which ai'e covered with a whit- 

 ish bloom. 



The attractive large flowers usually appear with 

 the new leaves. An erect terminal flower cluster 

 ( raceme) 5-10 inches long bears many nearly hori- 

 zontal short-stalked flowei-s successively shorter 

 toward apex. The irregular flower has a tubular 

 green calyx %-l inch long, opened on 1 side at 

 apex and obscurely toothed ; corolla of 5 unequal 

 petals, the coral-])ink to red standard 3 inches long 

 and folded, and 4 veiT small petals %-yi6 inch 

 long, 2 wings and 2 keel petals hidden inside; 10 

 slightly unequal stamens about 2V2 inches long, 

 united into a tube most of the length with the an- 



190 



